Mosaic Surgery / Q&A Session

Last week I held a Mosaic Surgery / Q&A Session for 2 hours on Monday morning. I promoted the event through my Facebook Page and also 5 other Facebook Groups I belong to. My aim was for people to send a question via my FB page or they could Message me. It seems that people are a bit ‘shy’ to post their questions on FBook but I had a lot of Messages with a whole range of queries and requests for advice.

Rather than list them all, I have amalgamated a few and show my responses below.

THE TRADITIONAL ART OF MOSAIC MAKING is one of the most ancient art forms used by the ancient Greeks, the Romans and several other cultures throughout the centuries. Like any great art, there has been ‘phases’ and periods’ throughout history from the traditional Roman style, the geometric Greek patterns, Byzantine and Gaudi to name a few. Mosaic art is still relevant today and again, takes many forms. The end result is totally unique and very different to any other art form.

VERSATILITY: Mosaics are incredibly versatile. They can be used in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Extremely durable and hardwearing they last for ages. They can be decorative, practical, tiny, huge, delicate and robust, 2D or 3D. Traditional, contemporary, pictorial, abstract – they can be anything your imagination can think of.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: The first mosaic I ever made was a small coaster and it took me all afternoon. I still have it, my lucky mosaic that comes with me on exhibitions and demonstrations.

Whenever I give a Beginner’s Mosaic Lessons I usually ask people to send me an idea of what they would like to mosaic. To be honest, most people over estimate what they will be able to achieve in a first lesson. One person bought along a picture of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. Another saw my ‘Robin’ mosaic and asked if they would be able to make that in an afternoon – I said ‘I hope not, it’s took me ages to make and I found it very challenging’!! So keep it simple, a coaster, trivet or small picture is a good starting point. You can then progress to pots, mirrors and door numbers.

INDOOR or OUTDOOR? Mosaics are great for indoor or outdoor spaces and look lovely in a garden setting. I have a lovely sun/moon on my shed. Make sure you decide in advance where it is going to go as you may need to use different materials and adhesives for outside display. Mosaic pots overflowing with herbs look delightful and just imagine a lizard creeping through your rockery, or a sunshine stepping stone.

MATERIALS:Different mosaic artists prefer using different types of materials – large bathroom tiles, crockery and china etc. I personally prefer small ‘mosaic tiles’ that are called ‘tesserae’. They are usually 2cm square and are either made of glass which come in a huge range of vibrant colours, or ceramic in beautiful muted shades like sage greens, mustard, soft pinks.